Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
FDA Research and Science Traineeship (FRST) Program
Frequently Asked Questions (Applicant/External User)
- General Program Information
- Eligibility
- Application and Selection Process
- Stipend, Administration and Other Policies
General Program Information
1. What is the FDA Traineeship Program?
Answer: The FDA Research and Science Traineeship (FRST) Program is conducted under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act (FD&C Act) (21 U.S.C. 379l(b)) and provides practical scientific training for non-employee pre-and post-doctoral scientists and physicians having a background or interest in the natural sciences, e.g. biology, chemistry, the social sciences, e.g. psychology, sociology, the formal sciences, e.g. mathematics, statistics, or the applied sciences, e.g. engineering, animal science, or any other field of science related to FDA mission programs. It also provides practical training for students and recent graduates to engage in project-specific FDA research and developmental activities. Such practical training experience shall be conducted through the conduct and support of scientific projects performed on-site.
2. What are the four goals of the program?
1. scientific research training;
2. professional development,
3. hands-on experience and contributions to the research needs of the FDA; and
4. preparation for government, academic, and industry careers in fields supportive of the FDA mission.
3. What is a Traineeship Program Assignment?
Answer: A Traineeship Program Assignment consists of an FDA research study/project that is relevant or pertinent to the needs and mission of the FDA and as such will contribute to the future regulatory and scientific public health workforce. Each assignment is for a certain amount of time. Individuals brought to the Agency under the FDA Research Traineeship Program are Trainees who are not employees and not federally appointed. Trainees cannot perform inherently governmental functions, render advisory or personnel services, or provide expert advice to/on behalf of FDA.
4. Where are the FDA Traineeship assignments located? Can Trainees work off-site?
Answer: Some assignments may be located off-site of FDA at an academic institution. The primary site of training is at FDA, or another approved alternate location during the entire period of the Traineeship. FDA Trainees are expected to receive the full-time mentorship of an FDA employee during their participation in the Traineeship Program. For this reason, Alternate site placements (placement at a non-FDA site) under the FDA Traineeship program are an exception to the program. These requests for placement must be reviewed and approved by the Center/Office and FDA Traineeship Coordinators in advance of the placement. For most cases, the Trainee will be placed in one of the nine Center/Offices at the FDA. A Traineeship Program assignment would occur at the same location of the Mentor of the assignment. The Mentor’s location (City/State) and Center/Office will be identified on the application website for the applicant to consider when applying.
5. How long is the program?
Answer: Trainees may participate in the Traineeship Program for weeks, months, an academic term, or a year, but may not exceed five years, inclusive of all Traineeship placements, except for students. Up to one additional year with Center/Office level approved justification. Time spent in the program while enrolled as a high school, undergraduate, and graduate student does not count towards the five-year cumulative limit. Assignments may be renewed up to the maximum amount of time in the program.
6. Is it a full or part-time program?
Answer: A Traineeship Program assignment could be a full or part-time commitment for the Trainee. Assignments will be advertised as either full or part time on the application website.
7. Can Trainees publish while in the program?
Answer: Yes. All published reports, journal articles, or professional presentations that rely on the activities conducted during the Traineeship Program should carry an acknowledgement/disclaimer such as: “This project was supported in part by the FDA Traineeship Program at the [Office/Center Name], U.S. Food and Drug Administration.” FDA Trainees should follow SMG 2126.3, Review of FDA-Related Articles and Speeches, when publishing or presenting so that their work is reviewed and cleared through the their Center/Office’s approval process.
8. Can Trainees join and retain scientific memberships while at FDA?
Answer: Per (Title 5 USC §4109(b)), FDA funds, including the Traineeship issued stipend, may not be used to pay for membership fees. Appropriated funds generally cannot be used to pay membership or subscription fees for individuals regardless of any resulting benefit to the FDA. This means that unless an exception applies, the FDA is prohibited from funding individual subscriptions to and memberships in professional organizations, even when the membership provides magazine subscriptions, training, or other benefits at free or reduced rates.
9. How do Mentors track the Trainees progress and training?
Answer: Mentors and Trainees will develop a Training Development Plan (TDP) together when the assignment begins. The TDP is established within the first 30 days and can be updated throughout the course of the assignment to include training or activities that were initially not recorded.
10. Are Trainees evaluated by their Mentors?
Answer: Yes, Mentors will evaluate their Trainees annually or at the mid-point at the Mentors discretion. At minimum, Mentors conducts an annual Trainee evaluation and at the end of assignment. Mentors may also choose to evaluate throughout the process. Evaluations are based on the Training Development Plan and Project Summary.
Eligibility
1. Who is eligible to apply?
Answer: Students, post-doctoral candidates, or other scientists who fall into the categories below are eligible for the program. When applying to an assignment one should look at the type of applicant that the Mentor has identified is eligible to apply (i.e. the assignment may be seeking a student with a B.S. in engineering or a post-doc who specializes in bio-chemistry, etc.).
1. Student Trainee
a. High School student
- At least 16 years old
- GPA of 2.8
- Have a work permit if under 18 years of age
- Official copy of school transcript
b. Undergraduate student
- Currently enrolled in an accredited:
• 2- or 4-year college or university
• Professional, technical, vocational, and trade school
• Other qualifying educational institutions in scientific, clinical, or relevant discipline
c. Graduate Program Student
- Advanced degree program institutions in scientific, clinical or relevant discipline.
2. Postgraduate Trainee
a. Individual has an associates, bachelors, masters, or doctoral degree in an appropriate discipline generally within 5 years
b. Individual with a doctoral degree with no more than 5 years of post-doctoral experience.
3. Certificate Trainee
Certificate in an appropriate program with a minimum of 30 semester credit hours or equivalent within 1 year.
4. Veteran Trainee
Honorably discharged or disabled service member.
5. Faculty Trainee
a. Full time faculty member at an accredited U.S. college or university.
b. Faculty in appropriate department
c. Research that collaborates and compliments research projects and other mission-related work at FDA.
6. Established Scientist Trainee
a. Evaluated on a case-by-case basis with Center/Office level approval.
b. Seeks to gain knowledge/experience in a new area to expand career opportunities or to advance professionally.
7. Pre-College Educator Trainee
a. Teacher or Administrator
b. Serves any of the grades from pre-kindergarten to grade 12.
c. Supports an appropriate program
8. The FDA Research Traineeship Program is an equal opportunity program, open to all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, mental or physical disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or covered veteran’s status.
2. What are the citizenship requirements?
Answer: Candidates can be U.S. citizens or foreign nationals (resident or non-resident aliens) and must possess a valid working Green Card or VISA. Although Trainees are not required to hold a U.S. Citizenship; there may be FDA offices that limit participation in the FDA Traineeship Program to U.S. Citizens due to the sensitive nature of the research performed. Individuals applying for participation in the FDA Traineeship Program must be able to meet applicable security requirements of the Agency, which include completion of an FDA background check which requires U.S. citizenship or individuals to have resided for a minimum of 3 of the past 5 years within the United States.
3. I will complete all the requirements for my qualifying degree a few months after the scheduled assignment start date. Can I still apply?
Answer: No, all degree requirements (including thesis defense) must be complete before applying. Before you will be sent a selection letter, all required documents must be submitted. Mentors will define specific requirements (type of degree needed to qualify for assignment). As such, all outstanding required educational documents are a requirement to be a Trainee.
Application and Selection Process
1. How does an applicant apply for a Traineeship Program assignment?
Answer: Prospective applicants must use the online application to apply here: External Traineeship Program Application. See the online application external user guide.
2. What web browser works best with the Traineeship Program Online Application?
Answer: The Traineeship online application works best with the “Google Chrome” web browser and does not work with mobile devices.
3. Can an applicant apply for more than one assignment?
Answer: Yes, an applicant can apply for as many assignments that they are eligible for but may only be selected for one. A Trainee cannot participate in more than one assignment at a time.
4. What happens if an applicant is selected for multiple assignments?
Answer: The applicant can only participate in one assignment at a time. The program will only pursue to onboard the Trainee for one assignment as they cannot overlap.
5. How does an applicant know when the deadlines to apply for each assignment are?
Answer: Each assignment has a deadline that is being advertised on the application website.
6. Will references be contacted?
Answer: Applicants are required to identify at least two references. Mentors may reach out to the references if they have questions about the candidate.
7. Will there be an interview process?
Answer: Yes, Mentors may reach out to their top candidates for interviews when making a selection for the assignment.
8. May applicants contact the Mentors if they need more information regarding their proposed Traineeship project?
Answer: Yes, you may contact a Mentor only if you need clarification on their proposed project. Mentors may contact applicants for interviews. Please note all official program correspondence about the selection process will originate from the FDA Traineeship Program via system-generated emails which notify the applicant when;
i. they are still being considered for an assignment,
ii. the Mentor intends to select the Trainee, and
iii. the Mentor intends to select the applicant.
Mentors cannot make offers to potential Trainees, nor can they provide application status updates
9. How will applicants be notified of receipt of their application submission and of their selection?
Answer: The applicant receives an emailed acknowledgement notification when they submit a complete application to an open assignment (one letter is sent for each assignment applied to). The consideration emailed notification is sent to the applicant after the program approves the applicant internally, and the applicant must indicate whether they are still interested by selecting YES or NO via the notification. If the applicant replies “YES” indicating that they are still interested, they will be sent an intention to on-board emailed notification with a proposed start-date identified.
Stipend, Administration, and Other Policies
1. How are Trainees compensated?
Answer: Trainees receive monthly stipends which are taxable by the U.S. Federal government. The stipend amounts will vary depending on the Trainee’s degree level, research area, location, and experience. Stipends for part-time participants in the Traineeship Program are prorated on the percentage of full-time participation. Note : FDA is not responsible for personal income taxes. Each Trainee is responsible for their own income taxes.
2. How will Trainees be paid/receive the stipend?
Answer: Trainees will be asked to submit their banking information so that the stipend can be automatically deposited into their bank account of choice.
3. Do Trainees receive benefits?
Answer: As Trainees are not FDA employees, they receive no salaries or benefits.
4. Can Trainees take leave?
Answer: Trainees, because they are not employees, do not earn annual or sick leave. However, with prior approval by the mentor, the Trainee may be excused for: 1) illness, 2) personal emergencies, and 3) vacations when assignments are for more than 90 days. Trainees receive paid federal holidays and a maximum of 15 business days of excused absence per year, wherein the number of days should be prorated for Traineeships less than a year. Mentors may exercise discretion in granting additional short absences (less than a week per year) as they deem appropriate. Up to eight weeks of excused paid absence may be granted for the birth or adoption of a child or for critical family health care, with concurrence of the mentor, the mentor’s immediate supervisor, and the Center/Office Director or designee. In addition, Centers/Offices must excuse absences to accommodate a trainee’s military obligations, e.g., active duty, active-duty training, and inactive duty training, Not to Exceed (NTE) six weeks per year.
5. What are reasons that an assignment could end before the end-date?
Answer: Trainee decides to leave the program for personal reasons. A Mentor may request a Trainee’s participation in the Program end early if the Trainee fails to meet the terms, conditions, or expectations of the Agency. Trainees may be terminated early for reasons such as, but not limited to, realignment or loss of resources/funding or changes in Trainee’s status which may result in ineligibility for the program.
6. Do Trainees have conflict of interest or ethics requirements?
Answer: Trainees will be subject to all of FDA's conflict of interest and ethics rules. Applicants will be required to complete FDA financial disclosure forms, abide by FDA non-disclosure and confidentiality rules, and attend FDA Non-Employee Scientist Orientation. If the applicant, his/her spouse, and/or minor children have stock in Significantly Regulated Organizations, such as pharmaceutical or medical device companies, or the applicant has grants from such entities, the ability to participate in this Traineeship may be compromised. Under FDA regulations, stock in such entities generally must be divested within 120 days of starting the Traineeship. For more information, please refer to the FDA Ethics for Non-employee Scientists | FDA website.
7. Where can I get more information about the program?
Answer: For more information, please visit the Traineeship Program website or contact the program coordinators at FDATraineeshipProgram@fda.hhs.gov for questions.